Scientists discovered that as a result of the world’s pollution problem, microbes around the world began to eat plastic. Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden say in a report in the journal Microbial Ecology that the number of microbial enzymes that can degrade plastic is increasing, and this is directly related to increased levels of plastic pollution. In other words, areas more affected by plastic pollution seem to have more plastic-eating microbes in their soils and seas.
This, the study authors argue, strongly implies that microbial life is evolving to deal with plastic pollution on a global scale.
“At this time, very little is known about these plastic-degrading enzymes, and we did not expect to find such large amounts in so many different microbes and environmental habitats. This is a surprising discovery that really shows the scale of the problem,” said Jan Zrimec, lead author of the study.
To arrive at these findings, the researchers analyzed data on microbial DNA in samples from 236 locations around the world, specifically looking for genes encoding plastic-degrading enzymes. In total, they found 30,000 enzymes, 12,000 in the ocean microbiome and 18,000 in soil, and these enzymes have the potential to break down 10 different plastics.
As study author Aleksej Zelezniak, Associate Professor of Systems Biology at Chalmers, adds, “Using our models, we found a wealth of evidence to support the fact that the plastic-degrading potential of the global microbiome is strongly correlated with measures of environmental plastic pollution – an important aspect of how the environment responds to the pressures we place on it. indicator.”
About 8 million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans each year. Mass production of plastics really began in the second half of the 20th century, but this man-made material became commonplace in the natural environment in just a few decades. From Antarctic ice to the depths of the Mariana Trench, there is hardly a natural environment on Earth that is unaffected by plastic pollution.
One of the most attractive properties of plastic is its flexibility, but this property also means it stays in the environment for a long time before it degrades. For example, a plastic straw can take up to 200 years to decompose.
Despite the scale of the existing problem, the researchers of this latest project believe their work could potentially be used to discover and adapt enzymes for new recycling processes to help address this global pollution problem.
“The next step will be to test the most promising enzyme candidates in the lab to closely investigate their properties and the plastic degradation rate they can achieve. From there, you can create microbial communities with targeted degradation functions for specific polymer types,” explains Zelezniak.
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